Kaohsiung Mayor Chen promotes new investment opportunities

Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) made a compelling case for investing in his city to European investors at the ECCT’s first Premium Event lunch with the mayor since he took office last year. The lunch was also attended by ECCT Chairman H Henry Chang, CEO Freddie Höglund, around 40 ECCT members based in or doing business in southern Taiwan and a delegation of senior Kaohsiung City Government officials. At the event Mayor Chen gave a short speech and answered questions from ECCT members in a Q&A session hosted by Tim Berge, General Manager of ICRT and co-chairperson of the ECCT’s Better Living committee.

Following the lunch ECCT Chairman H Henry Chang remarked, “It was a very warm and interactive event, like the weather in Kaohsiung. Mayor Chen showed his enthusiasm for promoting business development and made a compelling case for investing in Kaohsiung, particularly the AIoT Innovation Park. He also demonstrated his commitment to developing Kaohsiung into a smart city and improving the quality of life for citizens and foreign residents, saying that anything Taipei can do, Kaohsiung can do too. I made the point that European expertise are aligned with his visions for Kaohsiung and we look forward to working together.”

Also, at the lunch, Liao Tai-hsiang, Director-General of the city’s Economic Development Bureau (經發局廖泰翔局長) gave a presentation about the investment environment, industry overview, investment opportunities in Kaohsiung City and investment services provided by the city government. After the lunch, the ECCT’s Low Carbon Initiative (LCI) held a meeting with Kaohsiung City Government’s Deputy Mayor Charles Lin (林欽榮) and other city government officials to discuss green industry development in the city and how ECCT members can contribute.

In his speech Mayor Chen made an enthusiastic case for European investors to invest in Kaohsiung’s new industry parks, particularly the planned 5G AIoT Innovation Park. He noted investors can apply for tax incentives offered to businesses in science parks, export processing zones, and agricultural technology parks, along with bonded factories and bonded warehouses, and businesses in logistics centres and free trade zones. In particular, he mentioned the so-called “006688” land rental incentive plan, which is offered at the start of construction and operations.

Besides the mayor and DG Liao, the event was attended by Kaohsiung City Government officials who sat among members at different tables at the lunch. They were Hsieh Wen-pin, Director-General, Education Bureau, (教育局謝文斌局長) Chang Shu-chuan, Director-General, Transportation Bureau (交通局 張淑娟 局長); Huang Joh-jong, Director-General, Department of Health (衛生局黃志中醫師); Yang Chin-fu, Director-General, Urban Development Bureau (都發局楊欽富局長); Chou Ling-wen, Director-General, Tourism Bureau (觀光局 周玲妏 局長); Su Chih-hsun, Director-General, Public Works Bureau (工務局/蘇志勳 局長); Chang Jui-hun, Director-General, Environmental Protection Bureau (環保局 張瑞琿 局長); Xie Li-li, Director-General, Social Affairs Bureau (社會局 謝琍琍 局長).